Day 158 | Trump says Iran facing “last chance before decapitation”

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Read more: Day 159 | US hopeful Hormuz deal will be done “today or tomorrow”

• All 14 crew members rescued safely.
• Yemen blames Houthis for strike.
• Shipping disruptions continue in Red Sea.

An Indian-flagged commercial vessel capsized and sank in the Red Sea near Yemeni waters on Tuesday after being hit by a projectile, according to India's Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Despite the sinking of the commercial vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya, all 14 seafarers aboard -including 13 Indian nationals- were rescued alive by the Yemeni Coast Guard and taken to the Port of Mokha.

Yemeni blames Houthi

Yemen's transportation ministry, operating under the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government, accused Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis of launching the attack using an explosive-laden boat.

The Houthi group has offered no comment regarding the incident.

India's Foreign Ministry confirmed that it is actively coordinating with Yemeni authorities in the aftermath of the sinking.

Our statement on attack on an Indian flagged commercial vessel 

https://t.co/5dNzioU4jv pic.twitter.com/rGgtnl0luu

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 4, 2026

Red Sea traffic disruptions

Maritime traffic across the Red Sea off the Yemeni coast continues to face severe disruptions driven by Houthi operations seeking to blockade Saudi exports.

The ongoing campaign has further expanded the broader US-Iran conflict, which has already choked oil supply through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In response to the Houthi attacks on several Saudi tankers, Indian refiners have adjusted their procurement strategy, switching to cargoes from the Middle East on a delivered basis.

• Two active-duty soldiers die by suicide.
• Military suicides rise to at least 16 this year.
• Annual suicide rate has increased since Oct. 7.
• Multiple reserve and former soldiers also reported dead.

A monitoring report by Haaretz reveals that at least 16 active-duty 'Israeli' military personnel have committed suicide since the start of the year, following two separate cases involving female service members over the span of three days.

On past Tuesday morning, a female fighter in the Cheetah Battalion took her own life at a military base in southern 'Israel'.

She was discovered with severe injuries and transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Two days prior, a female soldier serving in a classified role within the Intelligence Corps committed suicide at the Glilot base near Ramat Hasharon.

The Military Police Investigating Division has initiated formal inquiries into both incidents, with findings to be submitted to the Military Advocate General's Corps for review upon completion.

Data shows sharp rise in suicides since 2023

The findings point to a sustained increase in suicides across the army establishment, accelerating sharply following the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023.

During the decade preceding the war, the military recorded an average of 12 suicides per year. Following the start of the conflict, 7 active-duty suicides were logged in late 2023, rising to 21 in 2024 and reaching 22 in 2025, marking the highest single-year total in 15 years.

However, official 'Israeli' military figures present only a partial picture of the phenomenon. The military historically excludes individuals who end their lives after completing their service or while off active duty, maintaining that discharged personnel fall outside army jurisdiction.

Media reporting on veterans ending their lives after taking off their uniforms eventually prompted minor policy adjustments. By late 2025, the military acknowledged that its internal reviews had identified 15 such off-duty cases.

Haaretz monitoring has documented at least nine additional cases among recently discharged veterans since then.

Combat trauma to systemic pressure

Additionally, military officials have recorded cases involving veterans of prior conflicts diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who took their lives after October 7.

The Defense Ministry has also identified instances of reservists who suffered severe mental distress during service and subsequently died of drug or alcohol overdoses following their release.

Officials from the 'Israeli' military Mental Health Department maintain that no single demographic or operational profile characterizes the suicides, attributing the broader overall rise in numbers to the massive expansion of active and reserve personnel during wartime.

The military also notes that several cases involved non-combat factors:

• Institutional stress and debts: In January, a career lieutenant colonel in a rear-line role ended his life following financial debt and what colleagues described as systemic harassment and denial of medical treatment funding.
• Legal investigations: In March, a reserve lieutenant colonel committed suicide the day before he was scheduled for police questioning in a fraud investigation.
• Training and adjustment strain: Multiple suicides occurred among recruits prior to completing basic training, with some cases involving alleged commander abuse or difficulty adjusting among lone soldiers.

Simultaneously, the military has confirmed numerous suicides directly tied to wartime exposure. Key cases include Eliran Mizrahi, a reserve D9 bulldozer operator diagnosed with PTSD after months in Gaza who took his life in June 2024, an armored corps soldier who returned to service with PTSD, and a reserve paramedic who served at the Re'im music festival site.

Other cases involved elite combatants, including a reserve operator in the Shaldag unit who participated in October 7 battles and subsequent operations before taking his life on Independence Day.

Two drone operators also committed suicide during the conflict, one a reserve lieutenant colonel whose peers reported he could no longer endure the horrors of war, and another a young officer in regular service who took his life shortly after a drone crash caused by human error.

• Report says deal could be announced soon.
• Oman, Qatar, and Pakistan mediate discussions.
• Goal is restoring commercial shipping.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that discussions with Iran and Oman aimed at increasing maritime vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz have made notable progress, although a final agreement has yet to be finalized.

Speaking to reporters at the State Department, Rubio outlined the status of the ongoing diplomatic effort:

"There's been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We're hoping that will happen very shortly."

Announcement within hours, days: Claims Al-Arabiya

Following Rubio's remarks, a source allegedly told Saudi state-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya that an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz is nearing completion.

According to the source, a formal announcement regarding the deal could be issued within the coming hours or days.

Mediators coordinate to enable direct US-Iran dialogue

In parallel with the trilateral discussions between the US, Iran, and Oman, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Qatar and Pakistan are actively coordinating with Oman to facilitate communication between Washington and Tehran.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, Advisor to Qatar’s Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, outlined the objective of the regional joint initiative.

Ansari stated that the regional effort aims to de-escalate tensions sufficiently to allow direct US-Iran dialogue to continue, adding that the mediating nations hope their joint diplomacy will “yield positive results in the near future.”

Regarding maritime logistics in the strategic waterway, Ansari emphasized that Qatar's goal is, at a minimum, to restore commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to the baseline levels observed prior to the outbreak of war in February.

Oil prices tumbled Tuesday after a top US official said Washington could soon reach a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns over crude supply disruptions that have sent prices soaring in recent months.

The main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, dropped five percent to $76.32 a barrel, while the international benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell back below $80 a barrel.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the United States could reach a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Wednesday, adding that this would stabilize energy prices.

"We are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict," Bessent said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC.

Asked if a deal would allow Iran to charge a toll on shipping using the strait, Bessent said: "I think it would be freedom of movement."

Mediating nation Qatar said on Tuesday efforts for a diplomatic solution between the United States and Iran were ongoing but that there were no direct talks between the sides planned.

"We can confirm that the efforts are still ongoing with all parties," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters, adding that negotiations were focused on "a short-term resolution that would help us reignite the talks and go back to the mediation efforts in its totality".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said relations between Tehran and Baghdad are currently at their strongest, according to remarks carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency.

Speaking late Monday in the Iraqi city of Najaf, Araghchi said the recent visit of the Iraqi prime minister to Tehran resulted in "very fruitful discussions."

He added that cooperation between Iran and Iraq spans political, economic, and security fields, including what he described as unified positions on issues of mutual interest.

A Liberia-flagged dry bulk vessel was hit by an unknown projectile while sailing near Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

The vessel, Minoan Pioneer, was struck as the crew abandoned the ship, with at least one seafarer reported missing, maritime security sources told the news agency.

British risk management group Vanguard said the projectile reportedly hit the vessel’s engine room, causing a fire in the accommodation area.

Iran was ready to attack three sites in Ukraine over a claimed strike on one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea in late July, a top military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday, Iran’s state-linked Press TV reported.

“We were ready to attack three areas in Ukraine,” Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with Iranian state television. “But after they claimed it was a mistake, we halted our response to examine their claim,” Press TV reported him as saying.

Last week, Tehran accused Kyiv of striking an Iranian commercial vessel carrying a cargo of iron, killing a seafarer and injuring three others. Kyiv had said it conducted drone strikes on two Russian vessels carrying military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

Iranian officials had warned of retaliation, but the tension eased after a phone call between the two nations’ top diplomats, after which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his Ukrainian counterpart had assured him an attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional.

“Even if it was a mistake, it still requires compensation,” Rezaei added on Monday.

In the same interview, Rezaei said Iran is focused only on negotiations with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz, not with the United States.

“If the blockade continues, US forces will face casualties,” Rezaei said, adding that Washington “must change its behavior and honor its commitments.”

The seventh round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and ‘Israel’ began in Rome on Tuesday under US mediation, with Beirut seeking a phased ‘Israeli’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The talks follow a framework agreement reached by the two sides on June 26 after five rounds of negotiations. The agreement includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual ‘Israeli’ withdrawal from areas in southern Lebanon occupied by ‘Israel’, and the deployment of the Lebanese army starting from designated “pilot areas.”

Washington and Rome announced last week that the latest round of discussions would continue until Thursday.

The remains of 112 Palestinians were recovered from beneath the rubble in the Gaza Strip, nearly two years after they were killed, according to local authorities. The bodies were transferred for identification and burial.

The chief executive of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, Aramco, said Tuesday that attacks by Yemen's Houthi group have had no material impact on the company's oil production capabilities.

Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser told reporters that the attacks "had no material impact on our capabilities."

Nasser said this included Houthi attacks in July that targeted the company's operations along the Red Sea coast and other facilities, adding that Aramco's production and operations have continued without significant disruption.

The 'Israeli' security cabinet is scheduled to meet Tuesday evening to discuss the latest developments regarding a potential agreement on Gaza, according to 'Israeli' media reports.

The meeting is also expected to focus on ongoing tensions with Iran, as regional security concerns remain high.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran is defending its borders but does not seek to expand the war, according to Iranian state media.

Pezeshkian said Iran must, under the current circumstances, build a society that its enemies cannot exploit, penetrate, or undermine.

His remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were under way. Tehran has denied there are any plans to hold negotiations with Washington.

Iran canceled plans to strike three sites in Ukraine after Kyiv apologized for a July 25 attack on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, according to Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Rezaei said Iran's armed forces had completed preparations for the operation before it was called off following the Ukrainian government's apology. Iranian authorities said one crew member was killed in the reported strike.

Rezaei also warned that Iran would not allow maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz outside routes designated by Tehran, saying any hostile naval vessel attempting to use an "illegal route" would be targeted.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week he had received assurances from his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, that the strike on the Iranian vessel was unintentional and that Ukraine was not seeking further escalation.

Iraq's Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said Baghdad is holding talks with Iran to ensure the smooth flow of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Khudair said he hopes the discussions will lead to "significant understandings" in the coming days that will help protect shipping routes and facilitate the safe passage of oil shipments and tankers through the strategic waterway.

President Donald Trump says the US and Iran are actively engaged in negotiations despite Tehran's denials and warns that Iran faces its "last chance to sign" a good deal. "We are talking, right now," Trump tells reporters, adding, "I want to give them every last chance before decapitation."

A cargo ship was struck by an unidentified projectile about 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday morning.

UKMTO said it received a report of the incident in waters northeast of Khasab, in northern Oman.

No immediate details were provided on casualties, the extent of the damage, or the identity of those responsible.

US President Donald Trump says that negotiations with Iran are happening "right now," describing it as a final opportunity for Tehran to make a deal.

Talks are "going on right now," Trump tells journalists at the White House, adding: "And they'll sometimes deny it, even though they spend hours and hours together talking."

He also adds that he called off an attack that would’ve been the biggest “since World War II”.